- 6.
Money can make or break a person.
Liam was the former, Ashley the latter.
Liam told me Ashley only had him in the
world. So, I took her under my wing, too.
But I didn’t expect Ashley to be so
demanding.
Not long after college, Ashley came to me in
secret.
“I know who you are. Your parents were
driving the car that killed Liam’s dad.”
Ashley dropped that bomb, then followed it
un with an even bigger one
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“I know you don’t want Liam to find out the
truth. So, you send me to school in France,
and I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
I couldn’t just send Ashley to France, not
without a good reason.
So, Ashley came up with a plan. I’d become
the bad guy who broke them up. Meanwhile, Ashley would go to France scot–free.
I paid for the first year of her studies.
After that, Liam started earning money and
refused to take my help.
But Ashley would still blackmail me.
I saw how power–hungry she was getting.
But as long as I lived, I couldn’t bear the
thought of Liam seeing me as the enemy.
I knew Ashley was plotting something.
But it was impossible to protect myself all the
time.
On Liam’s birthday, I got a text from him,
inviting me to celebrate.
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The party was at a karaoke bar.
Liam wasn’t really the party type, but I went
anyway.
I trusted him.
I showed up with his gift and walked in.
Liam wasn’t there. It was just Ashley and a
couple of shady–looking guys.
I turned around. A guy blocked the door.
Ashley walked up to me, holding a drink.
“I’m gonna give you a taste of what I went
through that night.”
She poured the drink down my chest.
Ashley nodded, grinning. “Nice bra. Who
wants to go first?”
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The blond guy next to me licked his lips and
grabbed me, his eyes perverted.
I bit his arm and managed to run. I realized
the bar was empty.
Ashley came out, laughing.
“Don’t bother looking. I told everyone to clear
out. The bar’s closed for renovations. No
one’s gonna hear you. No cameras either. No
one’s coming to save you.”
I yelled.
“I treated you like a sister! I sent you
overseas! How could you do this to me?”
Ashley slapped me, her face contorted with
rage.
“Treated me like a sister? You were just
doing it for Liam. Everything you gave me
was something you didn’t want anyway. And
France? I earned that myself!”
“You knew it wasn’t safe over there! Why did
you hang up when I called Liam? It’s all your
fault!”
Ashley grabbed me and began strangling me.
I clawed at her face, and she screamed,
letting go.
I coughed up blood.
“You don’t need to do anything. I’m sick.
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Really sick. I’m gonna die soon.”
The door opened and Liam stood there, his
eyes hollow.
